1. Field of the invention
A device for manually removing deposited dog feces from a surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The problem of dog feces deposited on sidewalks, walkways, in parks, etc., is ubiquitous, especially in urban areas. Although most cities and municipalities have adopted ordinances requiring the dog owner to curb his dog, this law is seldom observed in many areas and enforcement of the law is difficult since law enforcement officers are, in many instances, devoting their time to more serious crimes. Thus, deposited dog feces is prevalent in many urban areas. Besides being unsightly and unsanitary, typically soiling the shoes of unwary pedestrians, deposited dog feces is a serious health hazard to small children who often play with and even ingest the dog feces due to natural instinct and curiosity, thinking that it is food. This can lead to serious illness in the child such as worms or digestive upsets.
Other instances where a small, portable manual scoop is usable include diverse occupations such as park department employees, e.g. persons assigned to removal of leaves and small twigs from the ground, factory workers, homeowners, military personnel assigned to policing an area such as in the vicinity of the barracks, etc.
With specific regard to dog drop scoops per se, a body of prior art has been developed in recent years because of the need for an inexpensive, workable device to accomplish the elimination of dog droppings, i.e. dog feces, from the urban environment, and also in response to the more stringent laws relative to pollution which have been enacted in recent years. The urging of environmentalists in this regard is well known, and there is a continuing debate between such groups and those who have dogs as pets or for security reasons, i.e. as protection against intrusion in the dwelling by criminals intent on burglary, robbery or even rape or murder. This is especially true in certain urban areas, where the vast majority of perceptive people keep one or more guard dogs in their dwellings. This consideration, in recent years, has also become more prevalent in the suburbs and even in rural areas where the crime rates are constantly rising.
Among the many prior art patents relating to the highly developed art of dog drop scoops may be mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,716,263; 3,733,098; 3,786,780; 3,819,220; 3,841,686; 3,912,316; 4,010,970 and 4,014,584.
Another prior art approach to the problem of dog feces entails the provision of a harness or framework including a plastic bag, which is mounted over the anal region of a small animal, such as a dog, so that when the animal has a bowel movement and defecates, the feces is caught in the bag which is disposable. Prior art relative to this approach to the solution of the problem of dog feces includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,656,459; 3,786,787; 3,792,687; 3,817,217 and 3,875,903.